iPod Can I use my 4G ipod while it's plugged into PC?

[gomatt]

Hello. I go to the computer lab on campus to do most of my work because I love the nice 20" dell lcds and I can get work done, rather than in my dorm room. I use my 4G 20gb ipod all the time, and always find it out of juice. I plug it into the computer to use as my portable 20Gb drive and also to charge it.

If I cant find an outlet, and bringing a charger and firewire cable is a pain, can I charge it on the PC with USB and listen to it? Any hack to do this?

Also, could I still use it as a disk while plugged in?

Thanks (switching this summer when I can afford a MBP.

Also, is there a way that the songs can be on the ipod like they appear on my PC so that I can just run the mp3s off the computer?

 

[Eraserhead]

Hello. I go to the computer lab on campus to do most of my work because I love the nice 20" dell lcds and I can get work done, rather than in my dorm room. I use my 4G 20gb ipod all the time, and always find it out of juice. I plug it into the computer to use as my portable 20Gb drive and also to charge it.

If I cant find an outlet, and bringing a charger and firewire cable is a pain, can I charge it on the PC with USB and listen to it? Any hack to do this?

Also, could I still use it as a disk while plugged in?

Thanks (switching this summer when I can afford a MBP.

Also, is there a way that the songs can be on the ipod like they appear on my PC so that I can just run the mp3s off the computer?

I think the best way to listen to the songs at the same time is to listen to them through the PC the iPod is connected to... You can do this with Sharepod for example, or probably another similar program for copying MP3's off your iPod

Hope this helps

 

[decksnap]

I believe that if you set the iPod preferences on the system to 'manually update blah blha blah....' the songs on your iPod will show up as listenable on that system.

 

[Laser47]

I think he means that he wants to listen to music on his ipod, while using it as a external disk. When you use it in disk mode it flashes the "Do Not Disconnect" message, preventing him from getting to the ipods interface. The only way I know how to do this is to eject the ipod from the computer, then it will charge and you can listen to your music, but then you can use it as a drive. AFAIK the only way to do both is to, (As said earlier) uncheck automatically update checked songs. Then when you open itunes you can play the songs directly off the ipod, however that only works if the computers have itunes on it.